Twelve months can be a long time. In terms of Kansas State football, the progress of Bill Snyder's second act of Wildcat resurrection seems distant even when glancing backward just one calendar year. A year ago the Wildcats were picked to finish eighth in the new 10-team Big 12 Conference. There was an unproven quarterback, a questionable defense and a middle linebacker making a much-heralded debut as a starter despite not seeing much success at Miami before transferring home to Kansas.